Release of Arabidopsis seed dormancy by cold atmospheric plasma relies on cytoplasmic glass transition

Abstract

When mature Arabidopsis thaliana seeds are dormant, their germination is prevented in apparently favorable conditions. This primary dormancy can be released during seed dry storage through a process called after-ripening whose duration can last several months. To reduce this delay, cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) can be used as sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) capable of inducing heterogeneous chemical reactions. While CAP are known to stimulate the germination of various seed species, the relationship between CAP treatments and the amorphous solid state of dry seeds remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that seed dormancy can be alleviated using a cold plasma of ambient air and that this alleviation can be amplified for seeds with high water-content (typically 30%DW) or seeds heated at 60 °C during plasma treatment. Differential scanning micro-calorimetry shows that these characteristics control the glassy/rubbery state of the seed cytoplasm. This technique indicates also that a glass transition to the rubbery state strengthens the CAP effects to alleviate seed dormancy. We propose that lower cytoplasmic viscosity can promote the oxidative signaling induced by CAP which, in turn, improves the germination process.